GoodHousekeeping.com Features AAPD President and Members

January 3, 2014 11:33 AM

AAPD President Dr. Warren Brill, AAPD’s Director of the Pediatric Oral Health Research and Policy Center Dr. Paul Casamassimo, AAPD National Spokesperson Dr. Martha Ann Keels, and AAPD member Dr. Nuntiya Kakanantadilok were all featured in a story that appeared on GoodHouseKeeping.com about how common mistakes can ruin your teeth. The article was titled "7 Ways You’re Ruining Your Teeth."

"If you brush too vigorously, you can wear away at your enamel and cause sensitivity and even gum recession," says dentist Nuntiya Kakanantadilok, director of the division of pediatric dentistry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Buy a brush with soft bristles and move it in small circles, not side to side, she says.

"Think about your tooth as a seashell," says dentist Martha Ann Keels, division chief for pediatric dentistry at Duke Children’s Hospital. "If you put a seashell in Coke, it will disappear."

Kakanantadilok says over-the-counter white strips are milder than in-office bleaching systems. And who wants teeth that look like Chiclets gum, anyway? "We try to educate people that ‘normal’ tooth color is not white but more ivory," says Paul Casamassimo, director of the Pediatric Oral Health Research and Policy Center for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

You might think this sounds crazy, but lots of people do this absent-mindedly. "The teeth are meant to chew foods and look pretty when you smile, not to open up candy wrappers or chomp down on ice cubes," says dentist Warren Brill, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.